View source for How a man can be tested that he is a man of religious principles? The test is that whether he has developed love of God. Then he is religious. Just see how nice definition. Is there any nicer definition of religion?

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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB126LondonAugust261971_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="33" link="Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971">
<div class="heading">How a man can be tested that he is a man of religious principles? The test is that whether he has developed love of God. Then he is religious. Just see how nice definition. Is there any nicer definition of religion than it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Can you say? The one word, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, that is the best kind of religious principle to be followed, by which one can develop love of God, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971|Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Just like "Kṛṣṇa" is one name; "God" is general name. "God is great," and... We generally define like that: "God is great." But we do not know how great He is. That definition is given perfectly: "Kṛṣṇa." If you want a perfect definition of the word God, then it is Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. All-attractive. Unless one is all-attractive, how one can be God, the great? The general definition is "the great." But this is a nicer definition. "Great" means all-attractive. Suppose you are very great in this city, just like you are Mr. Kennedy, or you are Mr. Rockefeller, or Mr. Ford. Just like in your country there are so many big men, by their richness—because they are very rich; they have got money—so they are attractive. So money is one of the feature of attraction. Therefore God must be the supreme wealthy person. Otherwise He is not God. Another attraction is beauty. So God must be the most beautiful. You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa so many times. Perhaps you are convinced that you have never seen such a beautiful picture, although He's little blackish. So in this way, "God," "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive. He's attractive by His opulences, six kinds opulences, which I have described many times in this class. Another name is adhokṣaja, this name here. He has got many millions and trillions of names, according to perception of the devotee or the knower. He is also known as Brahman, Paraṁ Brahman, Paramātmā, and Kṛṣṇa, Madhusūdana, Govinda. There are many millions and trillions of names of God, but in the Vedic literature it is said that out of all kinds of names designated... Not designated. Designated will be wrong word. Actually. Because God name, God's name is given according to His transcendental quality. Just like this word, "Kṛṣṇa." "Kṛṣṇa" means, real means the all-attractive. So because He has got transcendental qualities to attract everyone, He can attract the richest man, He can attract the most beautiful man or woman, He can attract the most strong man, He can attract the most wise man; therefore He's all-attractive. So adhokṣaja means you cannot perceive. You cannot have any actual idea of God by your mental speculation. He is called adhokṣaja.</p>
<p>So here the definition is adhokṣaja means God, the Supreme Lord. The definition is: that principle of religion is the best by which you can develop your devotion or love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How nice this definition is, just try to understand. You may follow Christianism or Hinduism or Buddhism or Muhammadanism—it doesn't matter. The test is how far you have developed love of God. That is the test. If you have developed the sense of love for God, then it is to be understood that you have actually followed the religious principle. Not the rituals that go in a hectic way to a temple or to a mosque or to a church, and as a matter of formalities you pay something and come back and do all nonsense of things. That is not religion. Religion is how far you have... Just like in the same way a man is supposed to be great. How? He is considered a great man if he has got riches or he has got knowledge or he has got influence or he has got beauty, so many things. So similarly, how a man can be tested that he is a man of religious principles? The test is that whether he has developed love of God. Then he is religious. Just see how nice definition. Is there any nicer definition of religion than it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? Can you say? The one word, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, that is the best kind of religious principle to be followed, by which one can develop love of God, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje.</p>
<p>"Oh, yes, I have love of God. I love God." That's all right. But what kind of love? Because we have got love in this experience of this world. A man has got love for the beautiful girl. How long? So long (he) she is beautiful. That's all. And a girl loves a boy—for how long? Oh, so long his pocket is all right. So this is not love. This is not love. This is lust. I love your skin, I love your money, or I love you for some reason. Oh, that is not love. Here it is stated, "What kind of love of God?" Ahaitukī: "Without any cause." Not that, "My dear God, I love You because You supply me my daily bread." "Oh God, give me my daily bread." This is our prayer. Either in church or in temple, the same thing. In a temple also, generally people go, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I am in difficulty. Please get me out of it," or "I am in need of some money. Kindly give me a million dollars." Like that. So this is not love of God. This is also very good, that is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, er, Bhagavad-gītā: catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. If anyone goes to God for asking some benefit, he's also pious man. But he's not a devotee. He may be counted in the list of pious men because he recognizes God, the Supreme; therefore he is pious. But he has not developed the highest principle of religion, love of God.</p>
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